DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Flying in restricted areas?

auen1

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2016
Messages
13
Reactions
5
At the moment, I'm flying a P3A with firmware version 1.4.1.
I live within a mile of a semi busy airport.

When I fly from my house, the Go app is red and says that I'm "Flying in a Restricted Area."
I click OK and fly.
BTW, I call the tower before flying and always get permission.
But now they don't want me to call at all and just fly safely, as it bothers them.

My question is:
If I upgrade to a Mavic, will my new drone fly in this restricted area?
 
Last edited:
The Mavic Pro has the same Flysafe technology as the Phantom 3 Advanced and Phantom 3 Pro. How close are you to the airport and what class is the airspace? Do you see a lot of air traffic right near your house or is out of the flight pattern?
 
  • Like
Reactions: photoshoot
Jeeez. The airport has directed you to not follow the letter of the FAA law because they consider it a waste of time to keep informing you that you may fly in the area.

Please document this and to whom you spoke as it would be a good idea to report this to the FAA. That is as long as you have not called the airport in the past and started the conversation similar to this " Hello this is John Smith living at 1234 Oak Tree Lane" LOL.

By informing you NOT to contact them it appears to "fly directly in the face" of the FAA regulations.

They are there to handle "air traffic" and you are exactly that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: willhay555
Jeeez. The airport has directed you to not follow the letter of the FAA law because they consider it a waste of time to keep informing you that you may fly in the area.

Please document this and to whom you spoke as it would be a good idea to report this to the FAA. That is as long as you have not called the airport in the past and started the conversation similar to this " Hello this is John Smith living at 1234 Oak Tree Lane" LOL.

By informing you NOT to contact them it appears to "fly directly in the face" of the FAA regulations.

They are there to handle "air traffic" and you are exactly that.

I will also mention that this is far from the first time we've heard this kind of report about the FAA asking drone pilots not to call in every time they fly if they deem the operation safe within the controlled airspace. Have seen this mentioned in many other owner's groups, forums and Part 107 / 333 Exempt groups.
 
Jeeez. The airport has directed you to not follow the letter of the FAA law because they consider it a waste of time to keep informing you that you may fly in the area.

Please document this and to whom you spoke as it would be a good idea to report this to the FAA. That is as long as you have not called the airport in the past and started the conversation similar to this " Hello this is John Smith living at 1234 Oak Tree Lane" LOL.

By informing you NOT to contact them it appears to "fly directly in the face" of the FAA regulations.

They are there to handle "air traffic" and you are exactly that.

I get what you are saying but the last thing I would do if I was auen1 is report the airport. He reports the airport and from now on when he calls they say "Nope it's unsafe to fly, sorry."
 
I get what you are saying but the last thing I would do if I was auen1 is report the airport. He reports the airport and from now on when he calls they say "Nope it's unsafe to fly, sorry."
Yup, I'd note the time you called and name of controller, and enjoy the free pass!
 
Exactly, I am enjoying the lax atmosphere around here.
I get what you are saying but the last thing I would do if I was auen1 is report the airport. He reports the airport and from now on when he calls they say "Nope it's unsafe to fly, sorry."

If a person uses common sense,
there should be no issues.

My method to stay safe, is that I fly under 200'.

And from my location:
  1. I never fly toward the approach/landing zone of the runway
  2. I always fly away from the airport.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Advexure
The Mavic Pro has the same Flysafe technology as the Phantom 3 Advanced and Phantom 3 Pro. How close are you to the airport and what class is the airspace? Do you see a lot of air traffic right near your house or is out of the flight pattern?
Are you sure?
The main reason I'm on 1.4.1 and have not updated to the latest version,
is because I was told that this was the last fw before the NFZ was installed.

It appears that it is all class E.
 
Are you sure?
The main reason I'm on 1.4.1 and have not updated to the latest version,
is because I was told that this was the last fw before the NFZ was installed.

It appears that it is all class E.


As you are eluding to there is a STRONG possibility that the Mavic will have firmware in place that interacts with the current DJI Go app that "hard" enforces the No Fy Zones. Meaning that when one powers up and attempts to fly using the DJI Go app if the airport has been registered as a No Fly Zone then you will be prevented from takeoff. You can check to see if your local airport is listed as a No Fly Zone here
No FLY Zones | DJI
 
The red bubble means no fly.. the yellow are authorization zones that you can fly after taking responsibility and the green are warning areas ..
 
I called the airport in a yellow zone and got a recording. lol I left a message and proceeded to fly for the afternoon
 
Any of you guys carry a radio near airports? I have a handset that only hits some of the aviation band and have been considering picking up a dedicated one
 
Umm not me.
 
At the moment, I'm flying a P3A with firmware version 1.4.1.
I live within a mile of a semi busy airport.

When I fly from my house, the Go app is red and says that I'm "Flying in a Restricted Area."
I click OK and fly.
BTW, I call the tower before flying and always get permission.
But now they don't want me to call at all and just fly safely, as it bothers them.

My question is:
If I upgrade to a Mavic, will my new drone fly in this restricted area?

While I appreciate your question, the issue of whether it is capable of flying using the Mavic hardware and most up to date software is just one aspect of the issue. The more important issue is whether you are allowed to fly in the space that you wish to fly. In the US, the Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA) decides what is and is not allowable, and it categorizes flights based on the purpose "hobbyist" vs "professional". The hobbyist is regulated by Public Law 112-95, Section 336 – Special Rule for Model Aircraft
FAA Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. Pilots who are using their drones for "commercial" purposes operate under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulation (14 CFR) Part 107. These pilots (or sUAS Airman as they are called) must get their airmen's license from the FAA and strictly adhere to the rules of where and when they can fly. It is in flux right now, but it is my understanding that the FAA gave instructions to all airport towers NOT to be the agents for authorizing hobbyists or professional small unmanned aircraft flights into controlled space. Rather, at least for the commercial (part 107) pilots who must get permission by filling out an on-line request directly to the FAA a long time prior to the anticipated flight. I think that I have the facts straight for the part 107 pilots, but the rules may be more absolute for Hobbyists. I know that some responses here will be that the FAA "cannot regulate hobbyists". But I would strongly encourage anyone who is doing hobbyist drone flying to try to determine what the FAA thinks are reasonable rules and comply with those rules or try to get them changed if they are unreasonable.
 
Any of you guys carry a radio near airports? I have a handset that only hits some of the aviation band and have been considering picking up a dedicated one
I have one.
But mine doesn't work well unless i can see the airport, LOS.
Where I live, they broadcast the radio waves up in the sky,
so it's hard to receive the signal on the ground.
 
I do believe the the FAA has instituted an online authorization system. The towers are not supposed to authorize flight anymore. The may be what the OP is experiencing.
 
As a HAM operator I carry a handheld that covers the Aviation bands, and I do monitor both the Tower and Guard channels while flying. We get some very low flying helicopters around here <400 and I like to stay on top of their chatter.
 
I do believe the the FAA has instituted an online authorization system. The towers are not supposed to authorize flight anymore. The may be what the OP is experiencing.
That would be the B4Ufly app from the FAA, it does work pretty well in my area. Shows a map with restrictions and also information on local flight issues, uses your GPS location for specific location information. I use it every time I fly in a new spot. Has a flight planer and gived detailed info on possible flight restrictions.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,592
Messages
1,554,181
Members
159,596
Latest member
da4o98